The present invention refers to an ink-jet printer for printing on cards.
In particular, the invention can be used for printing on cards made of plastic material such as, for example, credit cards, smart cards, magnetic cards, etc.
As known, these cards usually bear signs, images, trademarks, that help the users to identify the purpose of the card and to distinguish each card from the others.
In order to print on such cards, the Applicant has found that particular inks can be employed, that comprise: a medium consisting of a low-boiling organic solvent, an auxiliary solvent consisting of a high-boiling organic solvent, and a colouring component soluble in said medium.
The Applicant has also verified that these inks may be dangerous, due to their corrosive properties, for the electromechanical/electronic equipment of the printer. In particular, the printer can be provided with a support carriage, that is adapted to move the card to be printed within the same printer. In more detail, the carriage receives the card from a card storage zone, by means of an extraction station, and brings such card to a printing station, wherein the card is ink-jet printed. Then the carriage may also be used to take the card to an ejection station, where the card is moved away from the printer and received in a suitable container. The Applicant has noted that the portion of the printer that may be particularly subject to the corrosive action of the above described ink is the electromechanical/electronic equipment used for supporting and moving the card, i.e. the cited carriage and the device(s) active thereon for movement of the card.